This is the Golden Age
by familyofthieves
Summary: They made their way across the country ready to start their new lives together and become a family.
1. The Birth

**For almost two years now I have been writing swan thief family drabbles on my Tumblr account. I finally decided it was time to bring them over here. This group of drabbles is centered around Neal and Emma raising Henry together in Tallahassee. **

**Disclaimer: I never have and never will own these three characters.  
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It was a Saturday morning when her water broke. She had been uncomfortable all day, but chalked it up to being nine months pregnant. She was constantly achy these days. Clearly this was the officially sign that she had gone into labor and maybe those pains weren't just the typical ones but actual contractions.

"Neal!" she called out, thankful he was home and not at work.

"What's wrong?" he asked coming into the room.

"My water broke."

"You're water broke?"

"Yes now please get my bag while I call the doctor."

He nodded his head and ran off in search of her bag while she made the call. After that they were off.

"Are you excited?" he asked.

"Excited to get this baby out of me." she grumbled, which he only laughed at.

It didn't taken them long to get to the hospital and into a room. Now all that was left was to wait for the baby to make it's appearance. This was easier said then done once the contractions became more intense and constant.

He held her hand the entire time, even when she she got angry at him and crushed his hand. Whatever she needed he was there for.

It was many hours later when the doctor came in saying it was time to push. She didn't know how she would be able to do that, all her energy had been spent on the pain from the contractions. But he coached and cheered her on reminding her that this was the final step before meeting their son.

With one final push the baby was all the way out with a loud wail and next thing she knew he was on her chest. She let out a cry of joy, their son was finally here. She felt his lips on her head as he too looked down at their baby.

A nurse came over saying they needed to clean and check him over. She instantly felt the loss as he was taken away and wanted him back in her arms. When the doctor was finished with her she was wheeled into a recovery room where they continued to wait for their baby to come back.

Finally the nurse came with the small clean bundle in her arms and passed him over to his daddy. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.

"He still needs a name." he reminded her.

She gave her son a good look over before saying, "What about Henry?"

"Henry?"

"He just looks like a Henry doesn't he?"

"He kind of does, what do you think buddy?" the baby gave them a yawn in response."Well then Henry it is."

She leaned down and gave her son a kiss on the head. She finally had what she had been searching for her entire life. A perfect family to love and call her own.


	2. Moving Day

**I forgot to mention this is the first chapter, but these drabbles jump all over the place. Majority of them happen before Henry turns 10, but they are in no particular chronological order.  
**

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For someone who had moved a lot, she never thought she would be the type of person to be sad about leaving an apartment. But this was more than just an apartment to her. It was the first place that they had bought together. It was where she learned she was pregnant and where they brought their son home and raised him for the first two years of his life. This apartment was the first place that she ever actual got to call home.

Now they were moving, though it was a much needed move. The one bedroom apartment was much too small for the family of three. Their son needed his own bedroom and not have his bed at the foot of his parents'. And she had to admit it would be nice for her and her husband to finally have the ability to have alone time whenever they wanted it.

Plus the new house, yes it was a house and not another apartment, they were moving into had an actual fenced in backyard. Her boys would be able to play outside whenever they wanted to, she could even let the kid go out by himself. Moving had so many perks, but she still found herself sad over leaving the tiny apartment. She was really going to miss this place.

"The last boxes are in the bug. You ready?" he asked coming around the corner and into the living room. "You okay?"

"Yeah…it's just harder to leave than I thought it would be."

He came up behind to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I know, but were going to make so many new memories in our new house."

"We will won't we."

"Yes, we can even begin tonight once the kid goes to sleep. We have to properly break in our new bedroom after all."

She turned around in his arms to face him, "Do we now?"

"Yes we do."

She was leaning in for a kiss when they heard the screams of their two year old come running and barreling into her legs. She broke apart from her husband and lifted her kid up into her arms.

"Mommy we go now?" he asked.

"Yeah Mommy we go now?" her other boy asked imitating their child.

"Yes we can go now." she laughed and gave her son a kiss on the cheek.

She took one more glance around the tiny apartment that she got to call home for two years before walking out the front door. As sad as she was about leaving, she was even more excited about the new house and turning it into a home filled with love and memories.


	3. Mother's Day

Giggling was what woke up her, well giggling and shushing if she wanted to be exact. She kept her eyes closed enjoying the sound of her boys in the early morning. A part of her knew she should be worried, the two were known for their mischief and those giggles did not sound good. But she decided to let them have their fun, she was too tired to get up anyway and was enjoying the fact she had nothing forcing her to leave the comforts of her bed.

The voices grew louder and she knew that quiet time was over, but that didn't upset her too much. The bedroom door creaked open and she heard her husband shush their son as they walked further inside. The weight of the bed shifted as the child climbed on and curled up next to her. She quickly pulled him into a hug eliciting a loud squeal of surprise from the five year old.

"Happy Mother's Day!" He shouted as soon as she opened her eyes.

She pushed herself up into a seated position, her son still in her arms, and looked to see her husband standing next to them holding a breakfast tray, one that she didn't know they owned.

"Happy Mother's Day." He said just as enthusiastically as their son, just not as loud.

"What's all this?" She asked.

"We decided to let you have a little break this morning and show how much we love and appreciate everything that you do to us."

He planned the tray over her lap and gave her a kiss on the head.

"I helped too mommy!" Her son chimed in.

She looked down at the array of food instantly knowing that the toast with globs of peanut butter on it was his contribution.

"Thank you kid." She said and kissed the top of his head.

"What about me I did most of the work." her older boy pouted.

She gave him a smirk before titling her head up allowing him to give her a proper kiss on the lips.

"I made this for you in school mommy." Their son said oblivious to what his parents were doing.

She broke away from her husband as the kid pushed his present onto her. She quickly grabbed it before it touched the food and started to unwrap it. First thing she saw was hand written card in her son's kindergarten handwriting. She was going to miss the poorly shaped letters as he got older. Underneath the card was an adorably drawn self portrait of her son.

"I love it thank you." She said meaning every word.

Her husband lowered himself onto the bed and wrapped his arms around their family.

"We got you something else too, but that's for after breakfast." He told her.

"Do I get a hint at what it is?"

"Nope."

She gave him her best pout hoping it would make him spill, but he only smiled back. Knowing the only way she would get her present was to finish breakfast she took a bit of the scrambled eggs. Both her boys beamed at her happy that the first part of their Mother's Day gift was a success.


	4. Bubble Bath

Training at her new job was a nightmare. There were so many things to learn and none of the employees took her seriously. Sure she was in her early twenties and the only female, but she could play with the big boys. After all finding people was something she had always been good at. The only person who seemed to have confidence in her was her husband, and her son too though really she could do anything in his eyes so he didn't really count.

Coming home was the best feeling in the world. She kicked off her heels and felt instant relief from not having to walk on her toes anymore.

"Hello!" She called out into the empty hallway.

"In the bathroom!" His voice shouted back and she headed off in that direction.

She leaned against the door frame to see her husband leaning over the bathtub cleaning off their son.

"Isn't it a bit late for a bubble bath?" She asked.

"It is, but a certain little boy managed to escape his daddy and go running in the muddy backyard."

"Did you do that?" She asked the culprit.

He gave her a sheepish grin, "There was a spider in my room and I wanted to make sure it got back home to his family."

"Of course you did." She couldn't help but laugh.

Most children were afraid of bugs or had fun killing them, but not her son. He made sure to rescue every single one that made it inside.

"Do you want to help?" Her husband asked.

"No I think I'll just watch."

She sat on the closed toilet lid and as he went back to scrubbing the dirt. She didn't even want to ask how the little boy got so dirty if his mission was only to reunite a spider with his family.

She loved observing bath time with her boys almost as much as she liked to take part in it. Their kid loved to talk and play with his tub toys making up all sorts if stories for them and patiently let his parents wash his body. He always looked adorable in the bubble filled tub and his father didn't look that bad either kneeled down on the floor his sleeves rolled up and a wash cloth in hand.

When all of the dirt was finally off she grabbed a towel as her son climbed out of the tub. She quickly snatched him before he could run off naked and dripping water all over the floors. She gave him a big squeeze and a kiss on the cheek before telling him to pick out a pair of pajamas to wear.

Her husband pushed himself off the floor and pulled her into his arms, "how was work?"

She groaned, "another long and hard day."

"I promise it will get better."

"Not soon enough."

"I know the perfect way to help you relax. What do you say after we get that kid in bed, and to stay there, you and I take a nice hot bubble bath."

"That does sound nice." She agreed.

"Good now why don't you put him to sleep while I get that ready."

"I thought you wanted to help me relax not make me more stressed." She joked.

Instead of answering her kissed her on the lips and pushed her out the door, "go and I promise that by the time we are out of the tub you won't even remember what stress is."

"I'm holding you to it!" She shouted behind her as she headed off to their sons room ready to tackle the final challenge of the evening.


	5. Graduation Day

Today was a big day for her son, for all of them really. They had both gotten off of work and as a family had driven to the school. Now she and her husband were sitting amongst the other parents in uncomfortable plastic chairs waiting for the ceremony to start. She had an old video camera ready to film every moment and he had their camera ready to take pictures. She wanted to make sure that they didn't miss any of it.

Music from a CD player started to play and out walked the graduates in one straight line. A huge smile came on her face when she saw her kid in his paper cap and button down shirt, looking even more adorable than usual. He carefully followed the girl in front of him so not to step on her feet, something he had told her that he was worried about, until he got to his chair.

The music was turned off and the teacher walked to the mic, "Welcome parents to Ms. Anna's preschool graduation."

Everyone in the audience clapped as their little graduates sat down. The ceremony started with the teacher talking about all the class had done over the year and how much progress they had made. The graduates stood up again and sang two songs, ones she knew by heart because her son had been practicing for weeks now at home. He had been nervous about messing those up as well.

Finally the big moment arrived when they would be getting their diplomas. One by one the kids walked up to the teacher who called out their names and handed them their diplomas. When their son's name was called the two cheered as loud, if not louder, than all the other families. The kid beamed and waved at them before walking back to his seat.

"Are you crying?" He whispered into her ear.

"Maybe" she replied back.

"Why?"

"Cause our kid is growing up. He just graduated preschool and in the fall he's starting kindergarten."

"And you're afraid that the following year he'll be off fighting dragons?"

"Neal." She scolded.

"I'm joking Emma. Yeah he's growing up too fast, but he's still our little boy."

She was only able to nod her head in agreement, she knew what he said was true, but she was a mother and she felt like she had the right to cry over how big her son was.

The ceremony ended with another round of applause and the graduates throwing their caps up in the air. After that the proud parents were allowed up out of their seats to congratulate their child.

"Mommy, Daddy did you see me?" Their son asked excitedly as he ran into his fathers arms.

"We sure did you, you were great." He said swinging the kid up high.

"We're so proud of you Henry." She added kissing him on the head. "Our little preschool graduate."

"I'm not little." He huffed, and his parents shared a look. Their son was one of the smallest in his class, something he was not too happy about.

"Our mistake Henry, our big preschool graduate."

The kid nodded his head happy with the correction. He placed their son back on the ground and allowed him to run off to talk to his friends.

"You okay?" He asked wrapping his arm around her.

"Yeah, I just wish he would stop growing up so quickly."

"Me too, but all we can do is enjoy these moments and not take anything for granted."

He kissed the top of her head and the two stayed in each other's arms as they watched their little graduate socialize with his classmates. When he was ready he would come back to them, he was only five after all and still needed his parents. The three of them had many more years before their baby boy was all grown up and ready to face the world by himself. So until then she was going to take her husbands advice and enjoy every moment she had with her young child.


	6. Christmas Morning

There was a special energy in the air the moment she woke up. She had to wait a few moments to allow her brain to figure out what it was, but when she did she was wide awake. She looked over to the boy beside her, he was still fast asleep, then her eyes traveled to the crib at the foot of the bed to see that her other boy was still asleep too.

Not able to go back to sleep she crept out of bed and headed into the living room to start preparing. First thing first she turned on the lights on the tree. It wasn't a big tree, but they didn't need anything super flashy or large, it probably wouldn't have fit in their apartment anyway.

She headed into the kitchen next and started to make breakfast. She was going full out today, it was part of her Christmas present to him. First thing she started on was the hot chocolate of course, she was up early after all and needed her energy.

Once the tea pot was boiling she started putting together the ingredients for the cinnamon rolls. She had gotten the recipe from one of her coworkers at the diner who had made them for her after she had the baby. He had loved them and kept bugging her to get the recipe or get her coworker to make them again.

"Something smells good." he said walking into the kitchen, their baby in his arms. Both of them had matching smiles on their faces.

"Merry Christmas." she said. She wiped her hands and on a towel before walking to her boys and giving them both a kiss. "I didn't hear him wake up."

"That's because I woke up to the smell of your wonderful cooking before he was fully awake. And after a quick diaper change our boy is ready to celebrate his first Christmas."

"Let me go check on the cinnamon buns and then we can start opening presents."

"You made cinnamon buns?"

"It's part of your Christmas present, I finally got that recipe."

"You are the best, you know that?"

She kissed him in response, "Now you go sit with Henry by the tree while I finish up in here."

He nodded his head and bounded over to the couch by the tree making their son giggle. Ever since their son learned how to laugh and smile it was their favorite thing to do and her new favorite sound.

She had to force herself to head back into the kitchen instead of watching her boys interact. He was showing the baby all of the presents that were under the tree and explaining to him that Santa had brought them.

The baby probably didn't understand Christmas nor would he remember it, but she was okay with that. She knew she would remember this day for him, as would his father.

She quickly put their breakfast in the oven and quickly headed into the living room unable to be apart from her boys any longer. She was ready to start Christmas with her family.


	7. Amusement Park

It was the official first day of summer and while their kid hadn't started school yet, it didn't mean they couldn't celebrate. It was his last summer before he began his 13 years of schooling and they felt like they needed to make this one special. They figured what better way to start summer than to go to the local amusement park. They had known about it since they moved into town. It wasn't anything special or large, but it was still far too expensive when they were trying to save up to pay the bills and give their son the best life possible. Now that their finances were stable and they had extra spending money to go to places like this. When they told the kid he was thrilled, he had never been to an amusement park before and had only heard thing from his preschool friends.

They had woken up early that day wanting to beat the crowds as much as possible. If their son was older they would have gone late into the afternoon and stayed till closing, but they didn't think the kid would be able to stay awake that long. The plan was to ride as many rides as possible, eat some lunch, and then go back home. It would give their kid plenty of time to enjoy the place before he grew cranky.

Their son's eye lit up as soon as they got to the front gates. He was in his father's arms as his mother bought them their tickets.

"What do you think Henry?" his dad asked.

"It's so cool!" he cheered and wiggled to get down when he saw his mother walking back to them.

Each parent took one hand and as a family they walked inside the park.

"What ride are we riding first?" he asked looking up at the adults.

"The swings." they said in unison.

"What are the swings?"

"It's a ride where you're in a seat and it takes you up into the air and spins you around." she explained in a way that was easy for the five year old to understand.

"It's where your mom and I had our first date." his dad added.

"Really?"

"Yes really. Your dad bought us drinks and we sat down on the swings and talked."

"How did you get drinks on the ride?"

His father laughed, "That's a story for when you're older. All you need to remember is that the swings is where I got your mother to fall in love with me."

"Well I wouldn't go as far as that, but I knew there was something special about you."

"I remember the way you looked at me."

"I remember you looking at me in a very similar way that evening, and that smile too."

"Because in that moment I knew that you were the one for me."

She couldn't help but blush at his last statement, and also roll her eyes at how cheesy it sounded.

"Are those them?" their son asked oblivious to the end of his parent's conversation.

"Yes those are them." his father laughed.

The kid broke away from his parents and made a run towards the ride.

"Wait for us Henry!" his mother shouted.

The parents ran after their child, father getting their first and lifting the child up into the air before placing him on his back. They walked at a brisk pace ready to make new memories on a ride that would forever hold a special place in their hearts.


	8. Summer Heat

The one thing she did not like about Tallahassee was the summer. She spent most of her life in the north and while it got hot there, it was nothing compared to this heat. It wasn't just hot it was sticky and the second she stepped outside sweat started to form on her body. For this reason she hated having to go outside. Thankfully their new house had AC, though they never had it up too high afraid of what the bills would be like.

On this Saturday the little family was out in their backyard with the sprinkler running for her little boy. Luckily for them they had a fenced in backyard, something that had drawn them to the house in the first place, because the toddler had no clothes on. Clothing had been optional these days, not that she blamed him in this heat. She didn't want to scare any of their neighbors, but other than that she didn't see the harm in letting him run around naked. She just had to remember to force him into clothes when they got back inside before he had an accident.

The sprinkler they were using was one of the first things her husband bought when they moved into the house saying it was a necessity for the summer. The kid loved running through it or just watching the water squirt back and forth. Usually during those moments his father would pick up the sprinkler and spray water on him. After the shock wore of the toddler would squeal happily and resume his running around the yard.

"It's hot out here." her husband said sitting down in the lawn chair next to her.

She handed him a glass of water, "That's an understatement."

"Our little nudest doesn't seem to mind."

Their son had gone back to sitting down next to the sprinkler watching the water.

"That's because all he knows is this heat. We should still bring him inside soon. I don't want him to get sunburned or waste anymore water if all he's going to do is stare at it."

"You're always worrying. We lathered him in sunscreen and so what if the water bills a little high this month, it will balance itself out."

"I'm a mom, worrying is what I do."

"And that is what makes you such a great mother." he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Fine he gets five more minutes, but then we're turning off the sprinkler and bringing him inside."


	9. Disney Movies

He's always had a weird thing about Disney films. She doesn't remember the first time the topic came up in conversation, but he was very specific about which ones he liked and didn't like. She thought nothing of it at the time, they were adults after all long past the age of cartoons.

When they had their son she wanted to introduce him to the films, they were a childhood staple after all. He's reservation about the films were once again brought up. Anything Pixar was totally fine and there was never a debate about those, but they often fought about the classics. The majority of them he tolerated, and actually seemed to enjoy them.

There was only one that he refused to watch, or even let them own, Peter Pan. She did not understand why either, it was the perfect movie for their kid. She tried to broach the subject, but he would always just say no or that he didn't want to talk about it. She had learned to not bring up the topic at all about Peter Pan hating how hurt he looked during their discussions, which only made her wonder what happened in his childhood to make him hate it so much.

It was a rainy evening in for the little family and of course her suggestion was always a Disney movie. They needed something to occupy the three year old before he tore the house down in boredom and what better way to do it than with a movie. He of course agreed and suggested Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She noticed that he suggested that movie a lot and she would agree to it, it was a good movie after all. Their son liked it too, it was the only Disney princess movie he would actually sit through.

The family snuggled up together on the couch, them on either side of their kid and the bowl of popcorn being passed back and forth between the adults. She knew almost all of the lyrics to the songs now, but she kept quiet enjoying the family moment. One that was so typical that she never thought she would have a family of her own to enjoy it with.


	10. First Day

His first day of kindergarten came upon them too quickly. The summer flew by filled with many fun family days, including a weekend trip to the beach. But it wasn't just the summer that went by too fast, it was the past five years as well.

She was far too young to have a son going into kindergarten, and that wasn't just because she had him when she was only 18. When she looked at the kid she still saw that little baby they brought home from the hospital, both of them clueless and terrified on how to take care of another life. Together they had figured it out and they had the perfect little boy as proof of their hard work and love.

Her alarm was set for earlier than usual wanting to get a jump start on the day before her kid did, which was hard to do since he's the first one up in the house. She got a start on breakfast, it was the most important meal of the day and she wanted it to start off right.

"Good morning, something smells good." her husband mumbled sleepily walking into the kitchen. He gave her a kiss on the cheek as she continued to cook.

"It's a big day, I wanted to make sure he left on a full stomach."

"That kid is never full, but you get points for trying."

"Thanks, do you want to go wake him up?"

"I'm on it."

He headed into the second bedroom as she put the finishing touches on their breakfast.

"Good morning Henry!" she smiled as her sleepy little boy walked in, looking exactly like his father did a moment before.

The sleepy look quickly was replaced by a smile as he saw the spread. He ran the rest of the way to the table and sat down.

"You ready for today kid?" he asked as they started eating.

He nodded his head yes as he stuffed a big piece of pancake into his mouth. She had to fight herself from rolling her eyes and cutting up his food, at least he wasn't going to be graded on table manners at school.

After they finished eating she took her kid into his bedroom to get him dressed for the day. They had picked out his outfit the night before, a dark blue t-shirt and jean shorts. After a trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth the family was off. They had both taken the morning off from working so they could take him to school together. The entire ride there the kid was talking non stop about how excited he was to start kindergarten and everything his was looking forward to, but the closer they got to it the quieter he got.

She turned around to look at him, "You okay kid?"

He nodded his head yes, though she could tell he wasn't. She didn't press him, when the time came he would tell her what was wrong. He parked the car in the lot and they walked up to the building together. They had had kindergarten orientation in the spring and had met his teacher in the summer so they knew exactly what to expect.

"I don't want to go to school Mommy, can't I stay home with you?" he asked suddenly.

She crouched down to be at his level, "What's wrong kid?"

"Nothing's wrong I just decided I don't want to go to school anymore."

"But you were so excited about it this morning." her husband said.

The five year old shrugged and finally mumbled, "I'm scared."

She quickly pulled him into his arms, "It is perfectly fine to be scared Henry, but I promise you everything is going to be fine. All you have to do is be yourself and try hard. And before you know it will be the end of the day and either Daddy or I will be here to pick you up."

"Do you promise?" he asked looking at both of his parents.

"We promise." he said taking his turn at hugging the boy, "So you ready to head inside?"

Their son nodded his head and they stood up so they could continue their walk. They were able to walk him to his classroom where they met with his teacher again and saw other kids and their parents in the classroom.

"You're going to have a great day today." she whispered into her kid's ear as she gave him a final hug. "I love you."

"I love you too." he said back.

She stood up and watched as he repeated the same actions with his father. Before she chickened out she gave him a final kiss on the cheek and waved goodbye. She knew he was going to be fine, but she still didn't want to leave him.

"You okay?" he asked once they were outside.

"I will be. I can't believe he's in kindergarten."

"I know it feels like it was just yesterday you were stealing that pregnancy test."

"Shut up." she laughed and slapped his arm.

He caught her hand and gave it a kiss as a way of apologizing, not like she could ever stay mad at him for that long. But he had done the job, even if it was for a moment, of distracting her. Her boy was growing up before her eyes, but just as she had told him earlier in a few hours he would be home in her arms and she knew that thought would get her through the day.


	11. First Birthday

She couldn't believe that they had made it one year. It had been a bumpy one for sure, but she felt like she rose above all expectations, not that they really had anyone to prove things to. Sure she got the dirty looks from people in town as she walked down the road with a baby in tow, but she never let them bother her.

She didn't know much about statistics for teenage pregnancies, but she knew that she was not just another number. The two of them had raised a baby all on their own and he was perfectly happy and healthy. They didn't even have anyone helping them out other than a few work friends ready to give them a date night and advice.

So here they were a year later celebrating the birthday of their son. He was able to walk now, though not very well. Still he stuck his little butt in the air as he stood up and toddled around the apartment not letting any spills or furniture get in his way. He always had some sort of bruise or scrap on him as proof of his adventures.

They managed to switch shifts with their coworkers so they could both be home to celebrate, it didn't take much convincing everyone loved their baby. They had even given him birthday presents, something which they had said wasn't necessary but were still grateful because they couldn't have afforded so many gifts.

She had gone to the good bakery to buy her son a chocolate cupcake. It would be his first taste of the sweet treat and she felt that it was okay to splurge. It was only the three of them at home celebrating since neither had family and the baby was too young to have friends, but she was okay with that it made the day even more special.

After dinner she put a single birthday candle in the cupcake and together they sang happy birthday. Their son had a huge smile on his face and clapped his hands in excitement. They helped him blow out the candle and finally she allowed the one year old to have a taste.

He immediately went for it sticking his hand in the frosting and bringing it to his lips. His smile grew even wider at his first taste of chocolate.

"Do you like it buddy?" His dad asked, the baby let out a happy squeal and went back for more.

They both took that as a yes. She picked up the digital camera, the one he had "bought" her when they first met, and snapped a picture. Chocolate covered his hands and face. It was going to be a pain to clean him later, but the memory of this day was worth it.

"We did it babe." He said pulling her into his arms.

"Yeah we did." She leaned back against his strong chest.


	12. Marriage Proposal

She doesn't remember the exact moment she changed her mind on marriage, it just slowly happened. After her son was born it became less and less scary until one day she realized that she really wanted to get married.

Yes there were a bunch of legal reasons why it would be better if they were married and it would be a lot nicer to say my fiance or my husband instead of my boyfriend or my baby's father. While those reasons were logical, she knew that it was more than that. She always knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him so there was really no harm to making it official. Emma Cassidy had a nice ring to it as well and she would be able to share the last name with both of her boys.

It was after they had put the baby down for a nap did she finally have the courage to bring up the subject around him.

"What do you think of us getting married?" she asked trying to sound casual.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She shrugged, "You know you and me going down to the court house and signing that big piece of paper saying that we are now husband and wife. Or you know whatever you do there."

"Are you being serious? Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah I think."

He put his hands on either side of her face and brought it close to his for a tender kiss. "I love to idea of us getting married, but first there is something that I have to do."

She stayed on the couch curios, as he ran off to their bedroom. She really shouldn't have been surprised when he came back in with a small red box.

He got down on one knee in front of her and opened the box showing off a small, yet tasteful, diamond ring. "Sorry I don't have some elaborate speech planned out, there hasn't been much time to think about it with our crazy kid running around. But I do love you. You and Henry are my entire world. So, Emma Swan, will you marry me."

She nodded her head yes afraid that she would burst into tears if she spoke. She was surprised to find that she was chocked up over this even though she knew what he was going to ask. He pulled out the ring and slide it onto her ring finger. It was exactly her type, she didn't need anything big or flashy.

He quickly kissed her again laying them both down on the couch, with him stretched out on top of her. Thankfully they hadn't gotten very far when they heard the pitter patter of little feet on the wood floor. They both turned their heads to see their son standing in the hallway.

"I thought we put you to bed." she said to the kid as the both sat up.

He gave her a toothy grin. Escaping his crib was the latest thing he had learned, something he loved and his parents hated.

"He just wants to celebrate with us don't you buddy?"

The toddler nodded his head and took his dad's question as an invitation to join his parents on the couch. All she could do was roll her eyes and pick up her son so that he was now sitting on her lap. Her fiance wrapped his arms around his family and kissed both of her heads. As long as her life continued to stay like this marriage wouldn't be that bad.


	13. New Bedroom

She had a feeling the first night in the new house was going to be a rough one. Their son had shared a bedroom with them since he was born, there was just no other place to put him in the one bedroom apartment. They didn't mind of course, it did make things easier when the baby woke up in the middle of the night. But now that their son was two they knew the one bedroom wouldn't work for their family anymore.

They had instantly fallen in love with a two bedroom and quickly placed a bid on it before someone else snatched it up. Before they knew it they had signed the papers and were packing up. The toddler was excited about a room of his own of course. He kept pointing it out to his parents and saying my room. Even though there was only his bed and boxes in the room it was his favorite place in the new house.

When it was time to put him to bed things changed. They had told him many times that he would be sleeping alone in his new room and that Mommy and Daddy were only a room away if he needed them. He seemed to have a general grasp on the concept, but she could tell he was concerned that first night.

Together they had tucked him in and read two of his favorite books. They turned off lamp, but the nightlight in the corner illuminated the room enough so the toddler wouldn't be scared. He put on a brave face as he hugged and kissed them goodnight. Her husband had to drag her out of the room since she wanted to watch him fall asleep.

"He's going to be fine." he said

"I know." She sighed in agreement.

Her mind probably was playing tricks on her and she had confused her own worries as her son's. He would be fine, he was excited and happy about having his own room and sleeping in his toddler bed and not a crib.

They headed to bed shortly after putting their son down both of them exhausted after a long day of moving and after having their own private celebration of getting their own room. It felt like she had just drifted off to sleep when she felt a little hand tapping her shoulder.

"Mommy." her little boy whimpered.

Her eyes burst open and she sat up in bed, "What's wrong kid."

"I scared."

"Do you want to join Daddy and I?"

He nodded his head yes and held up his arms. She easily picked him up and put him in the center of their bed. Her husband didn't even wake up to the new addition in their bed. Her son crawled under the covers and cuddled up close to her. It didn't take long for him to fall back asleep.

She wasn't at all surprised that her son woke up scared. He was in a new house and in a new room without his parents, it was a lot for the two year old. It would take him a little time for him to get used to the change and enjoy sleeping in there. It probably was bad to allow him to continue to sleep in their bed until that moment came, but she didn't care. She missed his presence in the room as well and would allow him to stay with them until he was ready to sleep on his own.


	14. Sick Day

She hated being sick. It wasn't just because she felt terrible either. She couldn't do her job or take care of her son, and there was nothing worse then that. She always tried to play it off of course, acting as if nothing was wrong even though her body protested. It usually wasn't until her husband caught on to her tricks did she finally get the rest she needed.

That is how she ended up in bed with a pounding headache and chills that had been growing for a few days now. It started off with the usual symptoms a sore throat and the general off feeling. She brushed it off of course telling herself it was just the changing weather. Even as she started feeling worse she wouldn't admit to being sick.

He caught her though rubbing her temples and fighting to stay awake. He had quickly put his hand to her forehead and declared that she had a fever. He practically had to carry her back to bed, both because she was too tired and protesting that she wasn't sick. After her pushed water and medication into her she promptly fell asleep.

She woke up a few hours later disoriented as to why she was still in bed. It took her a moment to remember the events of the morning. A part of her knew she should get up and try and get something done, but the other part was too tired and achy to move.

She heard whispered voices coming from the closed door. She tried to focus on what they were saying, but it only made her head hurt more.

She watched the door open slowly and her two boys walk into the bedroom.

"Oh you're awake how are you feeling?" her husband asked when he saw that her eyes were open.

"Better." she lied.

Of course he didn't believe her. He looked at her worriedly as he once again tested her temperature with the back of his hand.

"Mommy sick?" the toddler asked coming closer to the bed.

"Yeah buddy your Mommy's sick so we have to take really good care of her so she can get better."

Before he could catch his son he pushed himself onto the bed and kissed her.

"All better?" he asked.

She smiled, "Yeah kid all better."

He picked the toddler up and put him down on the floor, "Why don't you go play while I see how well your kiss worked."

The little boy nodded his head and ran off. She would never admit being sick to him, but at the same time she didn't want her son to catch whatever she had. There was nothing worse than seeing him suffer.

"I should get up." she said and tried to push herself into a seated position.

"No you are going to lay right here until you're all better."

"But what about my job?"

"Called them right after you fell asleep and told them you were sick."

"You have to go into work too and we can't leave Henry alone."

"I gave them a call as well. Told them I needed to take care of my sick wife and my son."

"But you can't do that."

"Sure I can. My family is my first priority and if any job doesn't agree with that then I don't want to work there."

"But we need the money."

"Don't worry about money now we're doing fine. All you need to focus on is getting better."

"But…"

"No more buts. You are going right back to sleep."

"But I'm not tired."

"You sound just like Henry."

She tried to give him an annoyed looked, which probably didn't work well on her pale and tired face.

He pulled the covers up more and tucked them around her shoulders, "Do you need anything."

"No." she mumbled as she started the fight against sleep again.

"Call me if you do okay." he leaned down as kissed her sweaty brow.

She nodded her head yes, or at least she thought she did. It was getting harder to keep her eyes opened, she wasn't ready to go back to sleep yet. He stayed with her through her fight, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching over her. His concerned and loving eyes were the last things she saw as she finally lost her battle against sleep.


	15. School Performance

Their son's class was putting on some sort of performance for the end of the school year. She wasn't 100% sure what this performance was about. Her son would either shrug his shoulders when she asked or go off on a tangent talking about so many things that it was hard for her to keep up. The one thing she was sure of was the time and date thanks to the flyer that came home in his folder.

At 8:30 A.M. the two of them drove the yellow bug together and parked in the lot with all of the other parents. Their car did stand out amongst the white and gray sedans and mini vans, but they didn't care. In fact they liked it better that way.

There were many other parents in the gym turned auditorium and it took them a bit to find good seats. It was then that she realized that it wasn't just their son's class, but his entire grade.

"How long do you think this is going to be?" he whispered into her ear.

She shrugged, "You got me. The flyer said nothing about that."

"Why can't we just watch our kid and go?"

"Come on it's going to be fine. Henry's excited about it."

"Are you sure? Because this morning he seemed like he couldn't wait for it to be over with."

She rolled her eyes, "The kid gives me whiplash with his feelings towards this performance."

The kindergarten teachers took to the "stage" letting the audience know it was time to stop talking. They talked about how great of a year it has been and all of the things the students had learned and trips they had taken. Each class took to the stage to sing one song that they had learned in music. Of course their kid's class was last, which left them very impatient both wanting to see their son and leave.

Finally it was his class's turn to sing. Their boy was in the front row, he was still one of the smallest in his class. She took out her camera and snapped a picture of him. He was wearing jean shorts and a red t-shirt, thankfully there was no dress requirement for this. They saw their kid search the audience for them and they both waved until he caught their eyes. He gave them a big smile and a wave before his class started their song. They applauded loudly after this class was finished and waved goodbye as they filed off the stage. The teachers gave a closing remark thanking everyone for coming and then the performance was over.

"That wasn't so bad right?" she asked him as they tried to push their way through the mob of parents.

"It could have been worse, and Henry did a good job."

"Yeah he held that smile the entire time they were singing and actually looked like he enjoyed it."

"I can't wait to see what show the school makes us come out to next."


	16. Pumpkin Pie

"Must you ask for pumpkin pie at every place we eat at?" she asked as the family left the restaurant. "It's kind of embarrassing."

"You know it's my favorite. Besides were in Florida where it's warm all year round, which means they can grow pumpkins to make pies with all year round." he argued.

"I don't think it works that way. Pumpkin is still a seasonal vegetable which means that they don't sell it or make things with it all year round."

"Is it a vegetable? I thought it would be more of a fruit, you know since they make a pie from it."

"I don't know I didn't pay attention in science or nutrition in school anymore than you did. And you really do have a one track mind."

He shrugged, "What can I say I really want a slice of pumpkin pie right now. And also share it with our son, he needs to start enjoying the taste from a young age to really appreciate all that pumpkin pie has to offer."

"Wow Henry you're Daddy has gone crazy." she said to the baby in her arms.

He gave her a big smile showing off his new teeth that were just starting to come in.

"I'm not crazy, I just really like pumpkin pie." he pouted.

She grabbed his shoulder to stop him from walking so that she could give him a kiss on the lips. "I know you do, which is why you are very lucky to have me as a girlfriend."

"And why is that?"

"Because on our way home we are going to make a stop at the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make a pumpkin pie."

His eyes lit up at her suggestion, "Really? You would do that for me."

"If it will get you to stop pouting then yes."

"You here that Henry, we are getting our pumpkin pie tonight." he took the baby from her arms and twirled him around. "You have the best Mommy in the world."

Their son continued to giggle over the attention he was getting from his father and clapped his hands as if he understood what all the excitement was for.

She shook her head slightly and laughed as she watched the scene in front of her. This reaction in a parking lot was more embarrassing than him asking one waitress for pumpkin pie, but she didn't mind. It really was the little things that made her family happy, and she was willing to do just about anything to see them smile.


	17. Sick Son

Her kid had come down with whatever she had. She couldn't help but feel guilty over giving it to him, though the reasonable part of her knew that spreading germs was something that happened in every family. Still it broke her heart when he walked up to her looking very pale and tired and said he didn't feel well. She placed the back of her hand to his forehead and wasn't surprised to find that he had a fever.

She was thankful that she didn't have to go into the office today, unfortunately her husband had to go to his job and had left before either them had woken up. When he texted later to check up on them, because he always did during any free moment, she would tell him about their sick son. After checking his temperature and giving him children's Motrin she got him settled on the couch. He was still small enough that the couch was comfortable and she wanted him out in the main room so she could watch him at all times.

"Stay Mommy." he pouted up at her underneath the blankets.

She couldn't deny her sick son anything so she cuddled up on the couch with him resting against her chest. At least she didn't have to worry about catching whatever he had. It didn't take him long to fall asleep and she easily got up without waking him. She got to work cleaning the house, she didn't need her husband coming down with whatever they had too. She kept an eye on her sleeping boy the entire time ready to comfort and take care of him when he woke up from his nap.

The rest of the morning was spent by her doing housework while her son slept on and off. Sometimes he would wake up quietly and she would give him some water or try to get him to eat before he fell back to sleep. Other times he would cry and beg to be held by her until he wore himself out. She didn't like it when he woke up like that.

Her husband had texted too and she had sent him a quick reply back saying that their son had a fever. She hadn't heard anything back, which didn't bother her. He had probably gone back to work, he wasn't supposed to be on his phone anyway.

She was surprised when she heard the front door open and turned to see her husband walk into the house.

"How is he?" he asked walking straight to the couch.

"Just fell back to sleep. What are you doing home?"

"It's my lunch break and I wanted to check on him and see if you needed anything."

"No we're good for now. Thankfully it's just a fever and it hasn't gotten worse yet."

He ran a hand through his son's hair gently so not to wake him. "Why don't you take a break for a bit. Eat a proper lunch and I'll watch over him."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine, if you make me something I can eat it in the car on my way back."

"I guess making you lunch is the least I can do since you came home for our son."

"Thank you."

She leaned down to give her husband a kiss on the lips and her son a kiss on the head before heading into the kitchen. From her position at the counter she was able to watch her two boys.

Her husband sat down on the couch and had their son's head on his lap. Even though the younger of the two had a fever she couldn't help but think of how cute the moment was. She could easily pretend that it was normal nap time at the house. For the first time since she woke up she relaxed and worked on making lunch for her family. Having him home for lunch was a wonderful surprise and gave her the perfect amount of time to collect herself before the afternoon.


	18. Night Time

He woke up to the sound of his baby crying, which wasn't an uncommon occurrence in their apartment. He cracked his eyes open to see that his girlfriend was still asleep next to him and he planned to keep it that way. He pushed himself out of bed and walked over to the crib located at the foot of their bed.

"What's wrong Henry?" he asked, though he didn't expect him to answer.

He easily lifted the baby up and instantly the crying was reduced to a whimper.

"Is that all you want? A little attention?"

Again his son didn't say anything, but the crying didn't start up again so he took that as a yes. Just in case he checked his diaper, which was in need of a change. If he was hungry he would have kept crying and since he stopped he knew that wasn't it, something he was grateful for.

The baby's mother was usually the one forced to get up in the middle of the night because she was his source of food. He always felt terrible having to wake her up, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Tonight it seemed like all his little boy wanted was a diaper change, which was an easy fix. Not ready to put his baby back in the crib, and also slightly afraid he would start crying again, he sat them down in the rocking chair.

His son's eyes peered up at him and gave his father a sleepy smile.

"You want some attention too, don't you?" he laughed.

He didn't mind getting a little less sleep for moments like this. He enjoyed sitting in the chair and rocking his quiet son. It was only during the nights that he wouldn't stop screaming did he feel his energy leaving his body.

He heard rustling coming from the bed and looked over to see his girlfriend turn around to face his side of the bed only to find it empty.

"Neal?" she asked sleepily raising her head. "What are you doing?"

"Henry woke up with a wet diaper so after a quick change we are rocking in the chair until one of us falls asleep. Care to join us?"

She mumbled something he couldn't understand, but still got out of bed and walked over to the chair. He held his son in one arm to allow for her to sit on his lap. Together they cradled their still awake son in their arms.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and ran her free hand over their baby's cheek. He knew she wouldn't be awake for much longer and it would be hard to get the baby and her back to their respective beds, but he didn't care.

He would sped the entire night sitting in this chair watching over his family if he didn't need to go to work in the morning. Soon he would figure out how to carry both of them to bed, but until then he continued to gently rock his son and girlfriend to sleep.


	19. Date Night

They had never left the kid with a babysitter before, they had never been able to afford one until now. When he had suggested an actual date night she had first been ecstatic over the idea, until she realized it meant leaving their toddler with a stranger.

As much as she wanted, and needed, a full night away from motherhood she wasn't prepared to leave her kid. Sure he was going to be three years old and starting preschool soon, but that didn't mean she was ready for the separation.

Since she had the perfect husband, who knew all of her worries and fears, had planned the evening out perfectly so she had no room to complain. He had found a babysitter, a coworker's daughter who was home from college, and made early dinner reservations that allowed them to be home before their son's bedtime.

The big night finally came. The butterflies in her stomach were flying violently both from nerves and excitement. It was hard to tell what was winning, the fear of leaving her little boy with a stranger or the excitement of going on an actual date with her husband.

She spent the majority of the afternoon getting ready, wanting to look good for her man but also distract herself from freaking out about the babysitter.

She heard the doorbell ring and her husband open to door introducing the young woman to their son. She took a big breath in, there was no going back now.

"Hi." she smiled walking out into the living room.

She shouldn't have been surprised to see that her kid was already sitting on the babysitters lap, a book in hand. He was a little social butterfly, always ready to charm his way into a stranger's heart.

"You look amazing Emma." her husband spoke up, "Don't you think so Henry."

"Yes Mommy, you look pretty." he smiled quickly looking up at her.

"You ready to go?" she asked. This was like ripping a band-aid off, she needed to do it quickly or else they would never leave.

"Yes I am. I've shown Anna where everything is and gave her our numbers."

"Thank you again. We shouldn't be out too late."

"It's no problem, enjoy you're night out." she smiled.

She walked over to the couch and crouched down to face her son, "You be good for Anna okay? Listen to her and try not to get into too much trouble."

"I promise. Love you Mommy."

"I love you too." she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning around and walking out the door.

A few moments later her husband joined her outside and opened the door to their yellow bug for her.

"You ready for this?" he asked as he pulled out of their driveway.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"The kid will be fine and we need this night. It's been almost three years since we had an actual date. It will be just like old times."

"Are we actually going to pay for this date, or do you have a scheme in mind?" she couldn't help but tease.

He laughed, "Don't worry we're not going that far back in time."


	20. Ex Girlfriend

She was fat. Well really she was pregnant, but she mostly felt fat. She was only a few months along now and in that awkward is she pregnant or is she fat stage and it sucked. She was ready to be done and just have the bump, or even better have the baby already.

He was the one that had suggested they go out that day, and of course she protested. She tended to avoid leaving the apartment unless it was absolutely necessary. It always felt like all eyes were on her trying to figure out if she was pregnant, and when they realized that it was the judgement of being pregnant and so young.

She couldn't catch a break these days, which was why she preferred to stay at home. Everything she needed was at the apartment, and if there was something missing her perfect boyfriend was able to run to the store and get it for her. Really there was no reason to leave except to go to work and doctor's appointments.

He had begged her though saying that she and the baby needed some fresh air. She gave him her best pout, but knew that he was right. She needed to get some form of exercise in order to stay healthy so the baby would be healthy.

When she relented he gave her that famous smile and a kiss on a cheek. Plus he promised that they would only go around the block and then she could go right back to the couch.

She pushed her feet into her well worn boots and threw on her boyfriend's sweatshirt over her t-shirt. She was starting to have trouble fitting into her old clothes, but knew they didn't have the money to afford a new maternity wardrobe. She made do with her stretchiest outfits and his as well.

Hand in hand they walked out onto the sidewalk. She had to admit it was nice outside. The heat of the summer had finally broken and it was finally starting to get cool. It was nothing like the brisk autumn's in Maine or Oregon, but she was still thankful for the sweatshirt.

"Neal?" asked a woman, one that she had never me before, one who was now coming to them.

"Celina!" he said back sounding just as surprised as she felt.

He let go over her hand to give the strange woman, apparently named Celina, a hug.

"How are you doing?" he asked pulling away, the stupid grin on his face, the same one he had given her when she had agreed to take this stupid walk. "I didn't know you lived in Tallahassee."

"I don't actually, just visiting a friend. What about you?" she asked, a huge smile on her face as well.

"Just moved here from Portland a month or so ago."

"Portland? How did you end up there?"

He shrugged, "You know me, always itching for some place new."

"Yes I do."

The smile she gave her boyfriend suggested that the two were more than just old acquaintances. Not able to take it any longer she cleared her throat reminding the two, well really him, of her presences.

"Oh right. Celina, this is my girlfriend Emma. Emma this is my old friend Celina."

"Hello." the other woman smiled and offered her hand.

"Hello." Emma said back, and extended her hand for a polite shake.

She tried her best to have a smile on to show them that this run in didn't matter to her, but it felt more like a grimace. She could feel her eyes on her body, judging her weight and knowing that her ex had traded down. She wished she hadn't worn this sweatshirt, it made her look bigger than she actually was. At least in a tight shirt the bump was visible.

"Well I should get going. I promised my friend I would meet her at her office. It was nice running into you Neal." she said, the smile never leaving her face.

"It was nice seeing you too." he waved.

As soon as the other woman was gone she was off ready to leave those two behind.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as he caught up to her.

He tried to take her hand again, but she pulled it again.

"Seriously Emma what is it? You aren't jealous are you?" he asked forcing her to stop walking and face him.

"No why would I have another to be jealous about? We just ran into a perfectly polite and beautiful ex of yours. One who might add doesn't look like a whale or a slob."

"You don't look like either of those things Emma."

"You sure? Cause I could feel her sizing me up."

"She was not sizing you up, you're being silly."

"I'm not being silly! It's what girls do Neal. They size up the new girlfriend to see who won the breakup and right now she knows she won."

"There is no winning a break up. Besides, I'm still with you aren't I? I didn't turn around to walk Celina to her friend's place. She's just an ex girlfriend, nothing more."

"I just don't want you to feel stuck with me because your obligated to take care of this baby."

"I promise you I am not with you because I knocked you up. I love you Emma Swan. You are the only girl for me."

"You promise?"

He leaned forward and whispered against her lips, "I promise." and sealed it with a kiss.

She gave him a teary smile and this time when he went to take her hand she didn't pull away.

"Now what do you say we finish this walk up and get you and the baby back home. I think we've had enough exercise and excitement for a whole week."

"Yes please!"


End file.
